Open enrollment 2009 - Employers say to employees: BOHICA, bichez!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's open enrollment time at work. Prepare yourself. Starting in 2010, your employer is making sure that when it comes to paying for your health care, you're going to be sharing much more of the burden.

"The headline is greater cost sharing," said Tom Billet, senior consultant with human resources consultancy Watson Wyatt. "That means higher [employee] contributions, higher deductibles, or both," he said.

In 2010, employers are "putting everything on the table," implementing benefit changes aimed at making workers more aware of the actual cost of services," said Paul Fronstin, director of the health research program at the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a public policy research group.

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So how are employers tweaking health care benefits options in 2010? Here's the rundown:

Higher out-of-pocket costs. "Employers and employees will face shockingly higher [health care] costs," warned Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, whose members include Fortune 500 companies such as American Express, Coca-Cola and IBM.

Companies are raising deductibles, co-payments and employee out-of-pocket limits.

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Co-pay to co-insurance. Darling said companies have been shifting over the past five years from a co-pay, a flat dollar fee ranging between $10 and $35 that employees pay at each doctor visit, to a to co-insurance model.

With co-insurance, employees pay a percentage of the total medical expense. Experts say co-insurance rates are typically split 80-20 or 70-30 between the health plan and the insured worker.

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Fewer options. Big companies are reconfiguring their options, reducing the number of HMOs and offering them only in specific geographic areas, or cutting back on the number of health plans, said Billet.

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He added that many consumers may be forced to switch doctors as a result of the consolidation of health plans.

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Consumer-directed health plans. About 20% of large employers offer consumer-directed health plans (CDHP), up sharply from 14% last year, according to Mercer.

These plans, which couple catastrophic illness coverage with employee-funded health savings accounts (HSA) or health reimbursement accounts (HRA), are 20% less expensive than traditional preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and HMOs, said Schilmeister.

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Schilmeister said CDHPs probably make more sense for a healthy worker who doesn't utilize medical care frequently. Otherwise they can be expensive for employees.

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"If employers aren't funding your HSA, it can become a huge problem especially for lower-income workers."

Closer scrutiny of dependent coverage. Experts say you should expect companies to impose a "surcharge" on your premiums if you have a working spouse who has access to other health care coverage. "Virtually all big companies are doing eligibility audits now," said Darling.

Incentives to stay healthy. A healthy worker is a less expensive investment for an employer. So expect to see incentives such as lower premiums or even gift cards if you take a health assessment test or join a weight loss or smoking cessation program.

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"We're very concerned that employers are imposing higher premiums on people based on their health condition that may be outside of their control," [Families USA's Fish-Parcham] said.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/19/news/econo...anges/index.htm

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yep that's what I'm expecting next month.

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Closer scrutiny of dependent coverage. Experts say you should expect companies to impose a "surcharge" on your premiums if you have a working spouse who has access to other health care coverage. "Virtually all big companies are doing eligibility audits now," said Darling.

We've already been told that I will have to complete a 'dependent certification' form. Never had to do that before. I wonder if I will be penalized for the fact that my wife works and has access to healthcare but chose not to take it since she uses mine. Either way, I'd not have done anything different, my plan is way better than hers.

Yep that's what I'm expecting next month.

As our favorite drunk poster would say.... where's da lube!!!!

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I probably should have checked the corporate intranet first. They've posted new eligibility rules and my wife is "ok" as long as we're married, regardless of her access to her own healthcare. I just have to "certify" that we're still married.

[pedroh 21]

but this is the way to go right? we don't want to become socialists..

[almaty 19]

there is a horsefucking coming to the worker in changes in health insurance out of pocket expenses.,

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

but this is the way to go right? we don't want to become socialists..

To be fair, socialism comes with its own set of pitfalls.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I hear that dental is now going to be "optional" for us, which I guess means I'll have to buy my own plan outside of the company.

No incentive to work at my place anymore really. Its one buggering after another.

I'm actually scrutinising the benefits on the intranet to claim anything I can - they're still giving us the 50% reimbursement on gym membership, so I'm taking that.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I probably should have checked the corporate intranet first. They've posted new eligibility rules and my wife is "ok" as long as we're married, regardless of her access to her own healthcare. I just have to "certify" that we're still married.

I just had to do exactly that last month. #######. Our premiums -still affordable- went up, and so did the deductible per family. Pffft.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I probably should have checked the corporate intranet first. They've posted new eligibility rules and my wife is "ok" as long as we're married, regardless of her access to her own healthcare. I just have to "certify" that we're still married.

I just had to do exactly that last month. #######. Our premiums -still affordable- went up, and so did the deductible per family. Pffft.

What did you have to do, just check a box saying yes we're still married? Or did you have to go further and re-compile your old I-485 package?

No incentive to work at my place anymore really. Its one buggering after another.

I hear that.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I probably should have checked the corporate intranet first. They've posted new eligibility rules and my wife is "ok" as long as we're married, regardless of her access to her own healthcare. I just have to "certify" that we're still married.

I just had to do exactly that last month. #######. Our premiums -still affordable- went up, and so did the deductible per family. Pffft.

What did you have to do, just check a box saying yes we're still married? Or did you have to go further and re-compile your old I-485 package?

Had to send in a check-this-box form, and that was that. I thought it was pretty weird.

and I did not have an I-485 package, noob. I was DCF.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

They're putting you on the record, that's what it is. Now if Bren has a major claim they'll go back and investigate his eligibility and if it turns out you lied you're both out.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Just did ours on Saturday. Some options went way up. Kaiser stayed almost the same, dropping a few pennies even on the biweekly contribution. I haven't got the re-up from Kaiser on my individual plan yet, but I already switched over to my wife's plan at her work, saving about $250 a month for better coverage.

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What does your wife do?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

They're putting you on the record, that's what it is. Now if Bren has a major claim they'll go back and investigate his eligibility and if it turns out you lied you're both out.

I am scared.